Martial artists are often reluctant to drop an
existing system when
they commence taijiquan.
They want to cross-train.Yet, if your existing art is 'complete', why are you taking taijiquan
lessons in the first place?
Your very presence in the class speaks the truth. Something is missing from your existing system.

When you do taijiquan, you shouldn't sweat.
Sweating is a sign that energy is being dissipated.
It comes from tension and it's as if you are depleting your bank account.
Doing taijiquan, you want to accumulate energy, not spend it.
So, if you sweat, you should stop and rest.

You may be learning more than one style/approach of taijiquan, and find that
these conflict.
Students with conflictive training tend to find that one instructor asks
them to practice an exercise one way, whilst their second instructor asks
for it to be done a different way.
This can be confusing - physically and mentally - and can also potentially
lead to injury.Which 'way' is going to become habit?
Which 'way' is going to emerge in combat?Combat offers no time for confusion over
style/approaches/methods.

It can be frustrating for an instructor if you are also training with
another instructor.
Many instructors will not instruct a student unless the student is fully
committed to one class and one class only.
If your eyes are looking in different directions, you will miss what is
right in front of you.

Disrespect

The instructor is focussed upon teaching you a very specific
syllabus.
Behaving like a dojo dilettante, you remain a tourist - on the
outside - never
privy to the real teaching.
Your own arrogance prevents you from listening to the instructor.And if you are not prepared to listen, or you think you
know best... why attend
lessons in the first place?

No instructor will share his secrets with a tourist.
It would be inappropriate and unwise.
This is why visiting instructors seldom teach anything
deep when they offer a
workshop.
Martial arts require commitment, dedication,
practice and loyalty.
Unless a student demonstrates the necessary calibre of character, they alienate
themselves and remain in the shallow end of the syllabus.

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

(Luke)

One step forward, one step back

Taijiquan is seeking to teach a certain approach.
It will
work best when unimpeded.
Practicing contradictory methods means that you will not necessarily make much
progress.
This is especially evident in students who are tense.
Unwilling to drop their existing habits, they flounder from the
onset.

With only so many hours in a given day, there is simply no point in training
taijiquan alongside anything else.
The proper practice of taijiquan requires a daily
commitment.
There simply is not enough time to fully engage with another
discipline.You are merely short-changing yourself...

A lot of martial arts instructors are
emotionally invested in what they teach. They are
adamant that their system
is the best. Sifu Waller is not like this.
He sees the taijiquan as being the best thing for him.
For Sifu Waller, the Art is a vehicle for the exploration of
taijiquan and sophisticated
body use.

What makes the training appealing is the fact that the applications are simple, direct,
subtle and effective.
There is no struggling, sweating and straining.
No forcing.
If you are using obvious strength, you are doing
something wrong.
In fact, once you possess neigong, the less effort you
use, the greater the effect.

Conventional martial arts favour the younger, stronger, fitter student.
By contrast; the internal
arts encourage a mature
mind.
Instead of retiring from combat at the age
of 40, a
student can look forward to spending the rest of their
life training the Art.
Taijiquan is the gentlest of the internal
arts, and works the body in a very safe manner.